


No Remembrance

by adlucy



Category: Fate/Grand Order, Fate/stay night & Related Fandoms, Fate/type Redline, Koha-Ace (Manga), 僕のヒーローアカデミア | Boku no Hero Academia | My Hero Academia
Genre: Charisma works overtime to sell the trio's bs, Crossover, F/M, Gen, M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, POV Outsider, Private Investigators, Vigilantism, but not really, casual talk about cannibalism and murder, no beta we die from the white death, or something like that, tosa trio walks into standard shonen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-02
Updated: 2021-02-14
Packaged: 2021-03-10 21:27:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 12,848
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28493850
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/adlucy/pseuds/adlucy
Summary: Private detectives aren't all that common in a world full of Heroes, but there are affairs that Heroes couldn't fill in and that's where money gets spent by both public entities and private individuals. Enter Sakamoto Detective Agency from Tokyo priding itself as swift, sincere and satisfactory, a three-man operation willing to take on any case.Once there was a human-like dragon, a dragon-like human and a manslayer. That story ended but the three of them are still here.What strange times, Ryoma thought.When he proposed for peace a long time ago, a blond smiling superhero seen all over wasn't the image he thought.
Relationships: Okada Izou | Assassin/Sakamoto Ryouma | Rider, Oryou-san/Sakamoto Ryouma | Rider
Comments: 10
Kudos: 32





	1. 1-nothing new under the sun

**Author's Note:**

> Don’t expect any coherence or clarity or plot. This is purely self-indulgent since brain empty, only Tosa trio. Also, my mish-mash browser history could explain this disaster. Expect OOC-ness and nonsense. Suspension of disbelief is very much welcome. 
> 
> This will probably evolve to ramblings on BNHA’s hero system relative to Fate’s take on historical Bakumatsu figures. I haven’t written anything in a long time haha.

_A generation goes and a generation comes but the earth remains forever (Eccl 1:4)_

Normally Tsukauchi doesn’t frequent this part of Tokyo, the part of the metropolis that retains a more traditional Japanese feel that has older, and more sacred air in its streets. Maybe it’s the older buildings, maybe Tsukauchi is just used to the hustle and bustle of his police job that any semblance of silence is welcome. 

The detective stops by a more modern-looking building in a traditional neighborhood, an open store labelled “Oryou’s” stood with no one attending to it. It operates on honesty basis where the store is left open and unmanned with all the goods left for the taking. There’s a price list and people are expected to list down the things they took and leave their payment in an open box. (Miraculously, the concept hasn’t led the store to lose money. On the other hand, Tsukauchi has met this Oryou and she isn’t really someone you sic to ordinary customers). Tucked into the side of the building is a set of stairs towards the upper floor. 

He strided upwards and knocked on the wooden door. A scramble, then the door opened to a man who looked like fought perpetually with a hairbrush, and the hairbrush always lost. Shaggy hair and sharp golden eyes like a falcon’s. 

“Oh, it’s ya’ detective”, said the man. 

“Let him in, Izo”, a male voice inside the office said.

“Isn’t like I’m leavin’ this poor bastard outta here, Ryoma”

Izo gestured for Tsukauchi to enter. Inside the office was a vintage interior and a… black thing floating an ethereal piece of laundry with her long sailor uniform and equally long scarf. 

“Do you have frogs for Oryou-san?”, asked the floating woman. A mysterious beauty with long black hair and red, red eyes. Tsukauchi put down a paper bag dripping with oil from fried frog legs.

“Oryou-san appreciates the tribute to her majesty”, the beautiful woman said as she zoomed towards the bag.

“Get a plate’ ya nasty snake”, said Izo looking at the so-called snake with disgust.

“Get one for Oryou-san, mangy dog”, replied the woman.

Izo looked like a Pomeranian with his hackles raised with how pissed he looked. “Go on an’ repeat what ya said jus’ now.”

“Now, now. We're all friends here, right?”, interrupted a man sitting by a large wooden table. (“No”, the two chorused. Tsukauchi could hear). “I apologize for this slapstick, Tsukauchi-san. You took your time to visit our little detective agency. How can I help you?”

The man had all of Tsukauchi’s attention, he could also hear Izo and Oryou stop their squabble and directed their focus to the table. Sakamoto Ryoma (like that historical figure) is quite easy on the eyes with his dark hair, dark eyes and healthy complexion. His presence was on another level, the detective felt like he would listen and obey whatever Sakamoto would suggest. The man by the wooden desk had charisma and presence rivalling All Might.

“I’m supposed to inform private firms like yours to inform the police about possible leads on the League of Villains . Tsukauchi handed over a flash drive and a manila envelope as he sat down on one of the open chairs. 

“I’ll keep an eye around”, said Sakamoto as he accepted the items. “I suppose this villain group isn’t the purpose of your visit right, detective? Their attack on UA was all over the media and you could’ve called me or sent this on email. That League alone doesn’t warrant a personal visit.”

Tsukauchi sighed. Sakamoto wouldn’t have ran a successful private eye without seeing Tsukauchi’s purpose. “It’s about Stain.”

“Ah, what about him? He resumed his crusade against the so-called fake heroes though the media haven’t really picked up and ran away with it just yet.”

“We may need more than your investigative skills for this one.”

Sakamoto raised an eyebrow. “You want our help to apprehend this villain. Whose suggestion is this?”

“Eraserhead’s, he said that the two of you and Izo-san know your way around swords and would be our best choice among private firms. We consulted with UA’s principal and the Board approved of this as well.”

Quirks scrambled society as a whole. The introduction of pro-heroes as idolized, flashy civil servants sprinkled with popularity contests means that law enforcement had to adjust with this new system. Though the police force had to do most of the heavy lifting of planning, interrogation, incarceration, etc., of villains, it’s the pro-heroes who get the credits for the capture of criminal upstarts and thus, a face to remember by the public. 

Private investigators like Sakamoto’s agency are hired for reconnaissance and similar endeavors in certain cases when the police or hero agencies don’t have the resources to spare. Tsukauchi knows that Oki Mariner’s agency is buddy-buddy with Sakamoto and his two companions (?) since the latter often takes care of the follow-up for the hero’s marine operations. Of course, there’s always the cheating partners, the insurance fraudsters, the con-men, the land disputes that practicing attorneys love (but the police don’t) that may need a private detective’s specialty. 

In short, private detectives fill in the obscure parts of law enforcement that the police and the heroes couldn’t bother with. Their work extends to private clients as well. 

“That’s a tough one, detective. What I’m hearing is you getting me and Izo to fight Stain himself under Eraserhead’s request. We may have a fancy license for Quirk use but we’re not civil servants like the pro-heroes are.” said Ryouma. 

“Oi Ryoma, jus’ get this job from the good detective. We don’ renew that license thing fo’ our swords to use ‘em as house decor.”, drawled Izo.

“Ryoma is forgetting Oryou-san. Oryou-san could snap all of you like twigs.”

Sakamoto let out a deep sigh. “If we’re taking this job Tsukauchi-san, I’m expecting the police to be the ones to make a press statement. Stain has taken down many pros already, it’ll be bad if someone like us would be the one to take that villain down. We don’t want attention to us.”

“You’re confident. I don’t know much about fighting but like you said, Stain has already taken down many pros and the only reason we’re bringing you into the fold is because we need your help with certain details. You’re just as fallible as the 23 injured and 17 dead from Stain’s blades.”

“This is more complicated than our usual arrangement.”,said Sakamoto tiredly, as if he could already feel the legal gymnastics and complicated cover-up he would be going if this arrangement would go through. His sharp gaze shifted to Izo who was grinning like a madman and looked at Tsukauchi again. “It’s the systemic circus of the hero system that I’m worried about. I have full confidence that we’ll be able to take Stain out with our own skills as swordsmen.”

“Oi, Ryoma.”, interjected an annoyed voice.

“...and Oryou-san’s great transformation”, added the man. 

Sakamoto steepled his fingers, his dark eyes firmly planted at the police detective. “We’ll likely accept this offer, Detective. But we still have to talk to your superiors about the details. Of course, nothing’s final until we get the preliminary paperwork out of the way.”

“Thank you for your consideration, Sakamoto-san. Do finalize your answer before Thursday so we could start planning for your possible involvement”, Tsukauchi stood from the chair. “Have a nice day.”

“You too, detective”, the other detective replied with a cool tip of his white hat. 

Tsukauchi went out of the vintage office, he could feel Izo’s and Oryou’s eyes follow him as he exited. Sakamoto is a fine fellow but his companions (?) looked at all the other humans as if they’re determining how much blood would pour if a person would be cut from chest to hip, a barely restrained bloodlust that only Sakamoto could control for the two to appear human. 

Speaking of which, Sakamoto was also terrifying in a way that the police detective couldn’t get a good read of the man. Sakamoto was unreadable and cunning, he reminded Tsukauchi of a dragon for some reason. Maybe Sakamoto Ryoma of this Tokyo detective agency had a Presence to him like his namesake, the Hero of Restoration. 

“Wait a minute, Tsukauchi-san!”, speak of the devil and the man was at the foyer of their office while Tsukauchi was about to get into his car parked on the street. 

“Thanks for the frog legs!”, Sakamoto yelled happily. “Oryou-san really enjoyed them!”

The police detective just waved at the man, a goodbye. Perhaps he should bring frozen frog legs for Oryou-san, she’s less terrifying when given an offering.

* * *

“You gon’ get this job with this Shitstain, right?”, asked Izo the moment he stepped back into their office.

Ryoma sighed. “I’m only doing it because you’re tired of me being your only opponent with swords. It’s a nice break from the divorce courts.”

The ambassador turned detective, once dead now alive, was tired of answering personal questions of more annoying clients who asked which between Oryou-san and Izo was the homewrecker. He’s sure the three of them didn’t materialize in this strange world by whatever unknown force (the Grail? Alaya, the counter force?) just so he could put a label to his relationship with his two companions. 

“Not a single shiny motherfucker in spandex would give me that kin’ of satisfaction as killin’ a schmuck back in Kyoto. Shitstain might gimme that feeling.”

“Izo should shut up”, Oryou added as she floated to the table and inspected Tsukauchi’s dossier. “Oryou-san will just eat this Stain person so Izo and Ryoma don't have to use their little sticks.”

Ryoma sighed, “I’ll call the Police HQ after lunch to accept their offer. Izo, what would you like to eat?”

“Not frogs”, the assassin answered blandly. 

Ryoma smiled. He may not know the reason why he’s here when he’s been dead for centuries, his role long since done and recorded in history. He’s a relic of ancient times in this Quirk-filled world. Still, Ryoma’s grateful to whatever higher power placed him here, with two of the people he feels closest with. Not many dead people, Heroic spirits, get to be this free when life’s over and all that remains of them, their remaining proof of existence in the past are now skull and bones. 

He took out his phone and placed an order for some French cuisine. Now, they only had to wait for the delivery person.


	2. 2-dreams increase and words grow many

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some introspection from a diplomat turned detective, a talk about Stain

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for the kudos and bookmarks ❤. Shoutout to MizuruH11 who left a comment that made my heart go(✿◡‿◡) .
> 
> Uhhhh...I'm not actually smart enough to write police procedurals. If the ""detective"" work is sloppy it's bc I'm a dumbass. I'm also taking liberties with Fate lore. 
> 
> CW: discussions of murder, minor spoilers for Guda3 and maaaaybe some in Koha-Ace or type Redline

**2- dreams increase and words grow many**

_To draw near to listen is better than to offer the sacrifice of fools, for they do not know that they are doing evil. (Eccl 5:1)_

Once there was a dragon-like human, a human-like dragon and a manslayer. Their story ended a long time ago but the three are still here. Sakamoto Ryoma wasn’t sure how or why they manifested in this time and place, in a time where his country is filled with superpowers not unlike fantasy or science fiction. Not only his country, 80% of the world’s population possessed Quirks. 

Fantasy and its ilk wasn’t something Ryoma was unfamiliar with; Oryou was a constant companion of his and she was an orochi from the Age of Gods who trailed beside him at the time where gunboats were at sea and a Smith & Wesson was as handy as a sword in a skirmish against the shogun’s assassins. He himself had a body of a Servant and didn’t require to eat or sleep. 

Philosophers and religions pondered on life after death, getting summoned as a Heroic Spirit in a magical battle royale against the Sengoku warlord Oda Nobunaga just 80 years after his physical death wasn’t something he thought when he himself was alive. He thought less of the possibility of a higher power displacing him at least three centuries from his own death alongside Oryou and Izo. 

Whatever higher power or eldritch force had dumped them in here, at least it had the courtesy to provide them with information from the present era. At first, it was just him and Oryou, Izo tracked them down in no time and told them he’s gonna stick with the two with the promise he’s only staying around so he could stab Ryoma in the gut again. So far, his friend hasn’t done that...yet. 

* * *

__Circa three years before_ _

It didn’t take long for them to find someone willing to forge some documentation after they popped into this world. The location was some sleazy bar with a broker named Giran. Izo lurked with the couple never leaving the assassin’s sight and Oryou very rarely left his side. Something warm stirred in him thinking that these two were willing to bodyguard someone selfish like him. 

Giran was a man of eccentric taste with some of the tackier clothes Ryoma had seen in this era (excluding the fashion carnival of pro-heroes). A smile curved from the broker’s face showing missing teeth as his eyes roamed the smokey, dimly-lit bar. “You haven’t been hit by a smooth criminal, did ya?”, the man said as a greeting. 

“I’m afraid I don’t have the dance moves to match”, he answered as he took off his white hat. 

“Huh, you look more like a sailor without the hat” 

The negotiation flowed like water, this was something Ryoma was good at even if he wasn’t a Servant with a Charisma skill. He needed someone to hack into digital records and create for them identities. As for the physical ones, Izo said that he’ll use his skills to get into public offices and plant their own forged paperwork. It’ll be a good practice for the manslayer to sneak around. It was also to evaluate how easy or hard the usual getaway plans they used to do back, back, back in the day and if it’s still viable in the current era. 

“I’m expecting payment”, said Giran, eyeing his gun and sword. Vintage things are expensive but Giran seemed like he would undervalue Ryoma’s weapons because of their current situation. 

“You will get your payment in due time. You can put it down on paper.” 

They discussed with someone named Aiba the details of their digital forgery. She looked at the three of them with some kind of longing. Ryoma could tell that the pink-haired woman had been lonely her whole life. 

With their faked records in place, they took out a loan from a bank to establish a detective agency not unlike the one they used as a cover in an Imperial Grail War. They paid their debts to Giran before due, took Aiba’s number because the girl definitely needed someone to talk to, and went on their merry way. Ryoma would like it if he would never have to contact Giran again but the nature of their jobs as private detectives made it that he had to call the sleazy broker every so often. 

Talking through things was something he was really good at, he wouldn’t have his posthumous fame without so. It wasn’t hard to build themselves a reputation for attorneys looking for aid in civil cases and also for the police needing extra hands for white-collar crimes, the latter wasn’t something the heroes were fond of doing. The rest, they say, is history.) 

* * *

“The view from up here never ceases to amaze me”, said Ryoma gazing at Tokyo’s skyscrapers and the people going around their morning like ants from the air. He and Izo were riding on Oryou going to the heart of the metropolis. Izo was gripping onto the orochi’s body so tightly his knuckles were getting paler. 

“Sure is”, said Izo as he tugged his muffler closer to his face. “But not much different from that Grail War we got summoned.” 

“Ah, no. Back in our day. Only the centers got some light at night but now, everything’s so bright and colorful. Here you can’t see any of the fire-hazard wooden buildings that made up our Edo.” 

Ryoma could tell that Izo frowned behind his muffler, “T’was easier to see the stars back in our day, y’know. Also, drop the city speak. Ya sound like an asshole, country boy.” 

“Can’t really do that, my fellow country boy”, replied Ryoma with snark. Unlike in Kyoto where he hadn’t worried about flying on Oryou when evading the Shisengumi, he had to be more careful in his flights these days. There were airlines, helicopters and drones nowadays that shared the sky. Not to mention, they have to be discrete in their routes to not encounter anything else or to be seen by the people on the ground. Thankfully, Izo’s Presence Concealment made it easier for their presence in the sky to be overlooked. 

“Oryou-san will land soon. Izo and Ryoma shouldn’t fall from Oryou-san’s back. If they fall, Oryou-san will eat Izo.” 

The wind picked up and whipped at their faces. The ground of an abandoned park became closer and closer, and they were dropping faster and faster. How did Billy the Kid jokingly say this? Ain’t my first rodeo. 

They landed on a concrete clearing of a public park large enough for Oryou’s partial transformation, he slid off from her back with ease. Izo’s face was paler than usual but he got off with some struggle. At least, he isn’t about to vomit. Then again, it wasn’t the assassin who had Riding as a skill. 

“Izo’s a wimp if he’s still scared of flying on Oryou-san”, said the serpent hovering towards Ryoma’s side. 

Izo’s yellow eyes glared at the couple. “Try to catch up your breath.”, said Ryoma. 

“‘ ‘m okay now”, Izo said, fixing his composure. 

The three of them walked (well, Oryou floated) towards a more open area of the park. Since it was a weekday morning, there was nobody else in the park. Ryoma breathed deeply and smelled the scent of cherry blossoms at full bloom. “After all these years, it’s good to know that spring days like these remain the same.” 

“A riot of cherry blossoms, huh”, said Izo with a passing look of nostalgia. A spring day long ago, back home in Tosa, Izo swiped some Western clothes and the two of them walked beneath the pink flowers as friends. That was long before they parted ways and the conflict became the centerpiece of their lives. Ryoma holds that rose-tinted memory like a treasure. 

“Oryou-san would like to visit the hot springs again with Ryoma.”, interrupted their female companion. She glanced at Izo like he’s a bug, “Izo could come too.” 

“Ya bringin’ me to your honeymoon? I’m touched”, Izo said with a little amusement. 

“It isn't a honeymoon if we’re not married”, reasoned Ryoma [1]. 

The assassin scoffed, “Not married he says? Everyone else back then thought so and ya can’t change what they’ve said ‘bout ya when they’re all six feet under. We can’t control how we went down in history because we ain’t alive by the time those bastards wrote ‘bout us.” 

“That’s surprisingly smart of you Izo”, said Oryou-san. Ryouma pulled his hat down instinctively, he didn't like talking about himself. The three of them walked to the Police headquarters that looked a bit better than office buildings in the area. There was a scanner at the entrance and Ryoma sighed. “Can you give me a tray, please”, he asked the guard. 

He removed the sword he always carried and put it down the tray, the guard didn’t ask where he hid it. The ex-diplomat passed through the scanner, it blared. It’s always embarrassing to be caught in situations like these. “I’m sorry”, he apologized as he pulled out his handgun from its thigh holster and put it in the tray as well [2]. 

Izo and Oryou had passed the scanner earlier and none of his hidden weapons were taken off of him. Such is an Assassin’s Presence Concealment. Ryoma noticed some police officers, the ones with animal mutations, trying to not look at their group but most especially at Oryou. They look like prey animals treading carefully around an apex predator. Ryoma didn’t have that instinct when he was a brash young man at Mount Takachiho and pulled out the divine spear sealing an almost-dragon. 

The receptionist directed them to a conference room. “Can you go a little higher Oryou-san? They might seek damages'', asked Ryoma. He glanced at the scrapes his wife’s hair made on the floor. She obliged. 

Ryoma did the courtesy of knocking on the door before opening it with his companions trailing behind him. “Sorry to keep you waiting, officers”, he greeted. 

“Sakamoto-san glad to have you here with us today, woof”, the dog-headed chief greeted them back. The office had more folders and papers than there were people. “Now we could start reviewing the Hero Killer case and plan how to capture him.” 

The projector whirred to life, Ryoma also had copies of the files on his desk along with Izo. Oryou-san opted to ignore everyone and just hover on Ryoma as a self-assigned bodyguard. The presentation was a quick rundown of Stain’s modus, his victims and which among the victims were murdered or incapacitated. Things Ryoma already knew from their own evaluation with Stain and the dossier Tsukauchi sent earlier. “Can you go back to the third murder?”, requested Ryoma. Stain’s habit of grouping his victims by location was practical for him. The slides showed a pro-hero face down in an alley, like all other victims the sight wasn’t for the faint of heart. 

“This one died quick”, said Izo. “Bloody it may be, the stab wound in the lung had done tha’ poor bastard in.”, gesturing to his ribs just near the heart. “All other remarks in the autopsy are irrelevant. Stain expected him to die of the slash wounds.” 

“How would you know that?”, asked an officer. Izo shrugged. 

“This one stands out because of the nature of the assassination”, added Ryoma. “We concluded that all the other victims have died from the accumulation of other injuries inflicted by Stain but theirs isn’t as quick or merciful as this one.” 

“Are you suggesting that the other 16 deceased have more long, drawn-out deaths?”, asked Tsukauchi. 

“Not really, there’s a group among them that died the way I wouldn’t want to myself”, said Izo. “Stain probably tormented these suckers with his weapons and shitty extreme ideals before doing ‘em in.” 

“Which ones are you referring about?” 

“The ones with Types B and AB in their blood are the ones who die painfully.”, answered Izo. “The difference in how painful they went out depended on how long he could paralyze ‘em.” 

“That seems plausible”, said Tsukauchi. “Stain’s Quirk is unregistered but what little camera footage and survivors’ accounts have suggested that his ability had something to do with paralysis. The correlation with blood type is probably the best guess we have to fill out the information gap. How could we overlook such detail...” 

“I might add that among the 23 he injured, most of them had Types A and O.”, said Ryoma. “Another thing is that the victim Izo-san described was one of his earliest victims, Stain might just be experimenting with how he would carry out his modus. He’s the only deceased victim with Type O. He didn’t have this careful touch with his later victims with Types A and O since his modus became smoother and the detail with the blood types is easy to overlook with all the other details of the crime.” 

_“He probably don’t know ‘bout his victim’s blood brfore carrying out his murder since his later killings was carried out with the same methods. The variance of the paralysis must be on the blood type. The B’s get the end of the short sword.”, added Izo. “Stain’s Quirk must’ve stopped working while he was still present in the alley, but the third victim made the mistake of moving so he stabbed him in the lung.”_

“The autopsy reports suggest that he expects most of his victims to die of slash wounds not stab wounds, thus how most of the heroes bleed to death. Stabs are also deadly but their tendency to hemorrhage makes for a quicker loss of blood. Though the slashes are fatal, they’re survivable and that’s how the Types O and A got help before they succumb to their wounds, thus only incapacitated and not dead”, said Ryoma. 

“We should send out a notice for the pros in Hosu to not fall for Stain’s schemes if their blood type is B or AB woof”, said the dog-headed officer. 

“Not that’ll stop those glory-hounding fools from chasing after that villain clout”, Izo muttered in their Tosa dialect. If any of the police officers heard it, Ryoma doubted that they could understand it unless they knew the dialect from the 1800s. 

“Of course nothing is conclusive but in summary, Stain’s methods now that he has refined to have a solid M.O relies on targeting the parts that would produce a lot of pain but not death. Most fatalities would come from the blood loss of these slash wounds and that’s how 13 of the 17 murdered dies. The three others who died were able to ask for help but help arrived too late. The only Type O was purposefully stabbed in an area that will cause a quick death because the victim made the mistake of stirring up before Stain could leave the area.”, Ryoma said with seriousness. 

“He’s so sloppy with leaving survivors behind I could cry.”, said Izo, throwing his body languidly on the comfortable office chair.. “I would’ve slashed anyone upward from hip to head. It’s quick, painful and makes for an awesome sight once everyone gets around to smell the rotting corpse. ” 

An awkward silence reigned in the conference room. All the other people were trying to unpack Izo’s statement. The manslayer from Tosa looked the canine police chief dead in the eye. “Hypothetically, of course.” 

“I’m sorry for Izo-san, officers. He slips up from time to time whenever there’s an interesting murder.”, apologized Ryoma as a way to fill in the silence. “You mentioned Hosu, Tsugaramae-san so I guess that’s the next city that will experience Stain’s reign of terror. What a bad time.” 

The chief sighed, “It is. UA already announced their annual sports festival and it may be only a one-day affair but no one in any station looks forward to it.” 

UA’s Sports Festival may be one of the most hyped-up events in this strange era but the pro-heroes scouting for potential talent among the student pool means that a bulk of crime-fighting is left for the police. Anyone in the underground knows that if one was to commit a petty crime or something as daring as a bank heist would best do the deed on the day of a glorified high school intramurals. The police (and the handful of very dedicated heroes) tend to be overworked on that day. It also means that the Sakamoto Detective Agency receives a hefty bonus paycheck with whatever job they cover for that day. 

It seems that they have to go a little more extra this year, Ryoma expects a bigger payment with this Stain business that’ll give them enough money for a vacation to Kagoshima’s hot springs. 

“We’ll be staying in the city for now, maybe scout Hosu for places Stain will strike.”, said Ryoma as he stood up. “Please follow up on our blood type hypothesis though I’m confident that we’re correct since Izo-san’s the one who saw through it. We’ll send you info on what we’ll find and I expect for you to do the same to us.” Ryoma picked up his hat he put on the table out of politeness, “Good luck with your work, officers. Always appreciate your hard work.” 

* * *

"You know chief, the pros wouldn’t like it if we get private agents like Sakamoto.”, said Tsukauchi who still looked at the door like it was an omen of doom. Tsuragamae wasn’t fond of private detectives either but they do get short staffed from time to time. Besides, Sakamoto was one of the better ones both in information gathering and combat whenever things go south. 

“Outside of the cities that Stain attacked, the general populace aren’t aware of Stain since his victims aren’t really high on the billboard charts. He is mostly underground but if he hits some of the bigshot heroes in Hosu, it’ll be bad for all of us, woof.”, replied the Chief. 

“You’re afraid that this affair will become bigger if he gets, say, Ingenium or Endeavor or anyone in the top 100 whose agency is in Hosu.” The monitors showed Sakamoto picking up his sword and gun from the flustered officer, it was Sansa who wasn’t very fond of the chief because, well, cats and dogs. 

“Yes, chart placements aren’t the only indicator of how a hero could hold themselves up in combat but it’ll be a blow to the public morale, woof. There’s also the League of Villains we have to worry about. Why did Stain choose to get his head out now of all times?.”, said Tsuragamae, shaking his head. 

“The League will probably recuperate before they attack again. For the meantime, let’s worry about Stain. I'm a bit afraid of Sakamoto and his group if they ever encounter the villain himself”, said Tsukauchi. It was Eraserhead who passed on to Tsukauchi about the group’s abilities outside of their usual cases involving adultery or fraud. From the screens, he could see Izo throw a smirk up at the camera, straight to Tsukauchi and Tsuragamae. 

“Don’t be. Sakamoto’s wife alone is terrifying, her Quirk isn’t like anything I’ve seen before but I have a feeling it’ll hold up against Stain’s blades. Sakamoto and Saetani’s Quirks aren’t combative but they don’t openly carry those swords with that confidence for nothing.” 

“You sound you’re more scared of his wife more than the possibility of the divorce court’s stars dying”, observed the detective. 

“Some people have theorized that Quirks are the next step of Human Evolution but whenever I look at that serpent-woman that I’m looking at something beyond my understanding.” 

Tsukauchi blinked, that was an odd thing to say. From what he himself observed, the woman never left Ryoma’s side and was a bit overprotective of him. She and Izo always exchanged scathing remarks but he has yet to see Sakamoto’s partners get into an actual physical altercation. 

“Never mind what I say, detective. For now, let’s hope that Stain will not harm anyone, especially those three.” 

If Tsukauchi had known what the group was actually capable of doing at this point in time, he would be the one wishing well for Stain. 

* * *

_.  
.  
._

_**Omake 1: A two-timing bastard** _

City life was exhausting, Nami concluded. She’d like to go home and enjoy being an utter fool at the stormy beach that leads to the ocean but no, she can’t go to her preferred retirement of being a hermit without some sort of financial backup. Her apartment was shared with two other people who’s as piss-poor as her and worked at least two jobs just to pool some cash for rent and live with some sort of stability. At least the landlord wasn’t pretentious enough to ask for an exorbitant amount with their apartment’s location. 

“Restaurant let you out earlier too?”, asked her roommate Konan who was scrolling through Twitter as always. 

“Yeah, some PSA ‘bout some dank-ass villain here in Hosu and my manager let me outta the shift.” 

“Anything interesting?”, asked her roommate as she looked up from her feed, the light glinting off her glasses was unsettling. 

Nami shuddered, there’s gossip mongers but Konan is straight-up a vulture. “There’s a cute couple who swung by for their lunch. Honestly, they’re tryin to cash in the discount. The woman’s wearing a sailor uniform and the man looked like a navy admiral with his sharp white suit. Honestly, I’m not plannin’ to marry but they actually made me think of seeking a partner just to be sappy an’ cute like that.” 

“Did you catch their name?”, the spark on Konan’s eye made her look like she found her next prey. 

“Yer lucky I do! I’m from Kochi and I’d remember Sakamoto Ryoma if I ever see one”, replied Nami who definitely did not inch away from her roommate. Sakamoto’s a common enough surname and she could pity any poor bastard running around with the Hero of the Restoration’s name. She had to give it to her customer though, owning up to his namesake and even finding a partner named Oryou. What a lucky man. Konan let out a happy noise as she showed her phone’s screen to Nami. “Yep, that’s them.” It’s terrifying how the other woman could do that, pin down a stranger’s Twitter account in seconds. 

“They’re running a Detective Agency but that’s not the tea.”, said Konan who put down her phone. Oh now she’s serious. “So I had a shift in the arcade earlier and there’s some hobo-looking hot shit that took over the high scores in Beat Saber. He had to be there for at least three hours since I’ve heard that he’s been playing since lunch. There’s this dude who came in to fetch the guy for coffee.” 

A dramatic pause, “So a coffee date between men in their 20’s, that’s nothing new.”, said Nami. 

Konan’s eyes held a manic gleam that would’ve sent a baser human being to flee. “No but I swear up to all the gods in Izumo and down to all the demons in Yomi that this exact Sakamoto Ryoma guy is the one who picked up Beat Saber hobo from the arcade.” 

“No, no, no no! Yer not draggin’ me to this shithole again like the last time where I talked to you boutta the leggings pyramid scheme! Next thing I knew was that the founder’s uncle murdered someone outta surgery and left the rotting leg at the forest to be eaten by the animals. Yer deep-dives are a path to hell.” 

“And the road to hell is paved with good intentions is it not? At least you didn’t get your life savings out for moldy leggings.” 

“I hate that you’re right.”, sighed Nami. Their door opened with a whine of the rusted hinges and their last roommate, Yukiko, entered. 

“I could hear your voice in the corridor, Nami. What are you two arguing about again?”, she asked with disappointment. 

“My working hypothesis is that this guy”, Konan flashed the detective agency’s pinned tweet featuring the cute couple from lunch. “...is a two-timer.” 

Yukiko squinted at the photo and her face lit up with recognition. “Ah! They’re quite unforgettable when you see them but they rented a room in the hotel and they got the one with a king-sized bed.” 

_“One bed?”, repeated Konan who was positively intrigued with their other roommate’s addition._

_Yukiko sighed at Konan’s antics. “What about you use your gossip mongering energy to actually find information on this villain that got the police around the area? They’re not announcing anything but I’ve been around long enough to know that we’re about to see something nasty’s about to go down.”_

_Their gossip vulture put down her phone. “Yes, mom. Whatever you say.”_

Yukiko shoved takeout dinner at their faces and the three roommates ate their meal with the news playing in the background. Gossip wasn't productive, no way, it’s one of the worst hobbies someone could pick up. But by God, talking about other people’s miserable lives certainly takes away her own personal laments even just for a short while. 

* * *

__Footnotes:  
[1]not married as in we don't have the license/ sources to prove it. imagine the historians in Fateverse having a serious discourse about Double Dragon's relationship status yelling only secondary sources say that they're married! that doesn't cover the fact that she was a dragon and he was a boy. they'll have an aneurysm if they knew oda and okita were women hahaha. their hot springs trip in 1866 is also considered the first honeymoon in Japan so they have that going for them. __

____

____

[2] ryoma left his weapons because a.) izo's presence concealment is a cheat code for scanners b.) a show of faith to the police c.) a show of trust to his bodyguards. come on, oryou-san promised not to leave ryoma again after the omiya incident. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> got Jeanne d'Archer from gssr and Cleopatra in a multi. next chapter would be a much shorter interlude before a proper chapter would be out. 
> 
> please leave kudos if you like this or even a comment if you're not shy to let me know your thoughts and criticisms about this chapter.


	3. interlude 0.25- unsignificantly off the coast

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> interlude short- a talk about Quirks and two bonus scenes

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> love y'all who left kudos and hits whoever u all are
> 
> CW: Some spoilers from type Redline/KOHA-ACE, the GUDA3 event. Immature sense of humor that's poorly executed. Maybe some cannibalism and some edits I have

Izo suggested checking out the boats docked on the port so they could talk about their cover details but Oryou'-san's displeasure was so fierce that they decided to go to the warehouses instead. They had no problem sneaking into one. The two men sat down on the stacked crates, Oryou-san drifted ethereally in the spacious warehouse. It seems she still had painful memories of drowning.

He was overjoyed when Oryou melded into his Spirit Origin at his ascension on the Throne of Heroes but Oryou was meant to ascend to the heavens to become a true Dragon. He was crushed that his death led to a terrible heartbreak and despair that instead of pursuing her original goal, she threw herself at sea. How terrifying that an orochi from the Age of Gods and a dreamer from the countryside would fall so deeply in each other's orbit that the serpent forgot her revenge against the gods and drowned herself as a murdered man's widow?

Oryou's last moments before joining Ryoma seems to still be something she brought if she still didn't like the idea of going near the water. He knows that she'll allow it if Ryoma wanted to, anyone who knew him would know that he's always been fascinated by boats. She was averse to the idea since it was Izo who suggested it, not Ryoma.

"We're supposed to meet with an Aiba Manami to fake digital records since we can't do it ourselves", Ryoma announced. "Our issue now is how we'll fake our Servant skills as Quirks since documentation is needed for establishing a detective agency."

" **டHitokiriㄱ** ", said Izo immediately.

Ryoma sighed, "That's an outdated title. I'll be putting down " **டRidingㄱ**."

The other man scowled but it morphed to a smile, "Y'know you'd be the butt of jokes with that, right? Fine then, I'll just put **டPresence Concealmentㄱ** instead of Hitokiri."

Izo attaches so much of his identity to being a manslayer. It's disheartening to see his childhood friend like this. By the time they parted ways, with Izo staying with Takechi-sensei and Ryoma venturing out of his native domain (and his sister committing suicide over his departure) to pursue his childish ideals of peace, they were already adults and were independent from each other. [1]

Ryoma had regrets with Izo's execution but he didn't bring it with him when he himself was assassinated. He wishes, he knows that Izo hates him with his perceived betrayal. That's why when they met in the Tokyo Imperial Grail War, he took a fatal blow from his friend. Honestly, he wasn't expecting for Izo to leave him alive at that time, if he truly wanted Ryoma dead he would've done so. At the same time, he was also expecting the possibility of Izo leaving him alive because even if he felt Ryoma left him for the wolves, the manslayer still held their memories together as something precious even after their paths had diverged so far apart from each other. He expected both.

"What about that dang woman?", asked Izo who nudged at Oryou who was drifting bonelessly in the air.

"Oryou-san will be Orochi. Some humans here think they could be dragons when Oryou-san could eat all of them in one go like frogs in a pond.", she replied.

"Ryukyu wazzit? The one in the TV?", Izo said. "I mean Chaldea sure had its fair share o' dragons but it's weird to see that outside of actual magic. Looked more like a wyvern to me."

"So **டRidingㄱ** for me, **டPresence Concealmentㄱ** for Izo and **டOrochiㄱ** for Oryou-san for our so-called Quirk Registration. It's self-explanatory enough that they won't ask for details.", said Ryoma and added, "Hopefully."

"Wouldn't the colorful humans ask about Oryou-san's Orochi because Oryou-san doesn't like little humans asking questions."

"Don't be silly, they don't have a reference to what an Orochi could do.", Ryoma said.

In Ryoma's very limited experience, first impressions last and face validity can get you far. People tend to accept the easiest explanation and if that explanation is enough, people don't pry. The trick was to maintain that. For example, while he and Oryou weren't married, they went around as a couple and people, from innkeepers to his higher-ups in SatCho, accepted that they're together without asking if they had a ceremony or not. He wonders if his relationship status is something that historians debated.

The woman nodded, "Is Oryou-san allowed to eat the colorful ants when they ask too much?"

Ryoma sighed, "Try not to eat them when they get too nosy."

"Don't worry, I'll kill 'em if we have to and you could eat their corpses", said Izo, completely ignoring Ryoma. Oryou nodded in agreement. Gods and Buddha help the people when Ryoma isn't around to keep these two from the general populace.

They were toeing a very thin line here if they were to establish a private eye firm, with the fake documentation and all. Ryoma plans that this Quirk thing would be the only one they're making up, he's more than willing to go the hell that is bureaucracy in order to operate legally and find if something was indeed wrong with this world.

* * *

**Extra:**  
Sometimes, they forget that openly carrying weapons as civilians was frowned upon. Times sure do change. When they applied for a weapons license, the office's interest piqued when they also presented their swords. Though there was a more rigorous process for firearms, bladed weapons also needed to be noted in a less detailed application. Still, the habit of open-carry wasn't something that both Izo and Ryoma tried to change. Today was a bad day to not remember that because a spunky middle-schooler approached them and asked about their swords. Izo was quick to deny that they were heroes and the girl reacted openly and loudly.

"We're detectives, miss.", said Ryoma trying to placate the situation. "We are allowed to carry our weapons."

The girl's gold-on-black eyes narrowed at Ryoma. "Show me."

Ryoma took his provisional license out and handed it to the girl. "What's Riding do?"

She probably wasn't the most brilliant of the bunch. Ryoma may have slightly regretted his choice of faked records.

"It means Ryoma's very skilled at maintaining a happy and stable relationship", replied Oryou-san with the blandest tone possible.

Izo smirked, "I'd give his Riding an A+."

The pink, alien-like girl's face reddened so much that it couldn't be healthy, like a rapidly ripening fruit. "I'M SO SORRY!. Forgive me for asking", she yelled. She started bowing profusely and hurried away from their group, it was like seeing Okita-san's flash step. Other people were giving them weird glances.

Ryoma gave Oryou and Izo a withering glare. They looked unapologetic, "Don't expect to call yer Quirk Riding and me ain't making fun of it."

"You both are a danger to society", Ryoma said as he tried to ignore the Oryou-san drifting close to the ground to lick the acid released by the pink girl's Quirk.  
**[...]**  
**Extra #2:**  
They were rifling through ads (on paper and online) for office spaces in Tokyo when Izo asked him about his stint as a private detective back in their Grail War, against Demon Archer. When Izo was summoned by a German Miss Major. "How'd ya get the money for that?"

"I pretended to be a ghost and haunted our allies' children as well as the Imperial household to give me some cash."

Izo knows that there were weird anecdotes on Ryoma after his death that he didn't ask for his friend to elaborate further [2] .

* * *

Footnotes:  
[1] my main source for ryoma is the wiki-corpus article about him. afaik, it's like from 2010 so some of the info might be outdated. if u're reading from ao3, [link](https://www.japanese-wiki-corpus.org/person/Ryoma%20SAKAMOTO.html) is here. if ffn just ignore or search for sakamoto ryoma wiki corpus if interested.

[2] empress shoken is said to have dreamt of ryoma wearing all-white and assuring her that they'd win the russo-japanese war. at first she didn't know who he was but someone from the Imperial household showed ryoma looking cool & fresh and she recognized him. the national press at that time ran away w/ it. this was 1905 and i'm only parroting what my online sources tells me.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so sorry inflicting u with infodump & my terrible sense of humor


	4. 3- a time to tear

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A city at night, a confrontation with a villain.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Izo's valentine scene was a mood whiplash. also, Happy Birthday ya murder-happy drunk. 
> 
> **CW: language, OOCness, lame fight scenes, as a whole a kinda messy chapter since this is a distraction before the course load hits me like a truck**
> 
> **Pay attention to capitalization of the word hero in the second part so u can get the vibe where the speakers are coming from.**

**Chapter 3- a time to tear**

**_For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven. (Eccl 3:1)_ **

If Izo closed his eyes and let the city's noise wash over him until only silence is left, he could see the alleyways of the old capital snaking in and out and converging into the larger roads of the city where people would mill around with their everyday lives under the thumbs of their lords. Even after all these years, the cities remained faithful to their back alleys. No point in trampling over something's already there when it's still perfectly good to use. The wooden buildings are gone, replaced by concrete structures and glass towers but the city plans remain intact.

He breathed, the air remains the same in Kyoto, Edo and Tokyo. "Tonight's a good night to kill."

"We really can't do that 'round here, Izo-san", said Ryoma. He discarded his white coat for the royal blue shirt, why he chose to still wear the white pants only Izo could guess. Maybe part of being a Servant is not paying for dry-cleaning.

"I know enough 'bout killing to know how not to kill, bastard", spat out the hitokiri.

Back in the day, Izo used to wander these streets in his days-old clothes when all his cash was gone from drinking and gambling and womanizing. People would throw him glares with his dirty rags and his country accent - dumb Tosa bastard, damn dirty dog with a sword. It didn't matter what those prissy bastards said about him during the day, every night then was his for a hunt. But not here, not now when the samurai are all gone and people call their idols heroes and villains. There was a clear division of who's good and who's not, even if those good heroes could be assholes and those evil villains could be kind- this society will judge a person's entire existence based on a label.

Neither he nor Ryoma had the illusion of what they were doing when they were alive were good- assassinating, gunrunning, drinking all night to do the same dirty work in the morning- only that by doing shady shit like that would _goshi_ (lower class samurai) like him and Ryoma would be in a better position [1]. They didn't even get to see the age that they helped build, Ryoma more so than him. He died later than him and his legacy far more famous than Izo's. He doesn't like thinking of his life, it was a pathetic 27 years of nothing and ended with his dumbass being beheaded under clear skies. God, did that snake-woman put her saliva in his drink? Izo didn't like thinking this much.

"Oryou-san will offer to clean up after this bug's mistake if at least twenty frogs will be offered to Oryou-san", said the snake-woman.

"What about we try our luck with those gachapon machines and we might get a cute frog toy?", suggested Ryoma, who always knew what people wanted to hear.

"Oryou-san considers a cute frog toy as an equal compromise"

Crime was criminally low in the era of All Might that their detective agency found it baffling that petty shit like burglary is something that rarely happens (in the city where a lot of heroes roam, anyway). Apparently, when Endeavor burns a house for his arrests, it's just collateral damage and not arson so that doesn't count. Stain might be an outlier with this whole superhero-supervillain circus but Izo really isn't someone who thinks critically about society, that's Ryoma with his Eight Proposals or something like that. Even then, Ryoma wasn't really the book-smart kind but Ryoma knew people and has always been a smooth talker.

He wonders what the leaders of Satsuma and Choshu saw in Ryoma as an idealistic wanderer who brokered the deal that would end the 300-year rule of the shogunate. Stain might be a serial killer in the vein of Hitokiri Izo, but his conviction to his twisted beliefs made him carry some sort of charisma not unlike Ryoma's. The combination of the two was dangerous. Izo couldn't care less about Quirks and the superpower bullshit permeating this world, but the police had the budget to pay them and he wouldn't mind getting out of town for a hot springs trip.

They stood at some random rooftop of Hosu's portion that was part-business and part-residential. Far from the center where big-time heroes like Endeavor and Ingenium had their agencies but not too far, that smaller heroes or sidekicks did not patrol this area. "Remind me again why we lookin' for this Shitstain person when there's the police and pro-heroes?"

"Because the police are limited in what they can do and the heroes don't want to be the Hero Killer's next victim in case the things go south.", Ryoma replied. "Also we're being paid to do this."

"So we're cannon fodder 'cuz we're private agents, go figure. Ya talkin' to this wannabe?", asked Izo.

"I'll try. Not that I'm expectin' him to be reasonable but if I get to him without drawin' out my gun, it'll be better for all of us."

"Country speak's better on ya, Ryoma.", said Izo to his friend.

"Only talkin' like this since it's only the two of ya here with me", said Ryoma with a small smile at Izo and Oryou (who was observing the cityscape with keen eyes). Foolish man, stupid dreamer, trusting an assassin and a serpent.

Izo looked away. That smile never changed from their childhood, when Ryoma looked at boats like how Izo would look at swords. "Good thing these streets never changed even if this city went through shit all these years. We don't hafta memorize the patrol routes and alleyways cuz it's the same from Edo."

"If you were to carry out some good-old fashioned Divine Punishment, where would you do it?", asked the diplomat of their group. Although Kyoto was where Izo built his reputation as a manslayer, there were enough important people in Edo for him to scout the streets and be familiar with the place.

Izo smirked. "Heh, what about we check out some of my old hunts if they're occupied by this Shitstain or not?"

"Ryoma, Izo", said the only nonhuman in their group. Oryou's ruby eyes were looking at something in the distance that the two samurai cannot. "Oryou-san smells blood and cocky righteousness. Oryou-san offers a ride for this hunt."

"Looks like we're not visitin' my old places with yer woman here, Ryoma", remarked the assassin.

If Ryoma was uncomfortable with the two of them suggesting that Stain was some poor rabbit hunted by a falcon and a snake, Ryoma didn't show it. Hell, Ryoma killed a fair share of people hounding his ass because of his sweet talking diplomat duty. The gun and the sword on his right side wasn't simply a fashion statement.

The woman contorted her body towards a more serpent-like form that will accommodate two people on her back. Ryoma climbed up, reached out his hand and hoisted Izo up. "Thank you, Oryou-san. Let's go." 

* * *

Many are called but only few are chosen. Those who called themselves heroes cover their lives in glitter and gold and are blind to their own selfishness when they do the acts of their so-called heroism. Heroes are self-absorbed creatures, wanting more fame and money. These fakes continue to plaster their names to consumerism and commercialism that they bring shame to the name of heroes. The industry itself is as corrupt as any other business but the glitter and glitz that comes attached to fake heroes means that everyone except him was blind to the truth that modern heroes do not live up to the truth of heroism.

He decided then that if it takes a swathe of bodies and rivers of blood, he would gladly stain his name if it means that the masses would be able to distinguish true heroes from fake ones. So he killed, and killed and made a name for himself in killing heroes. His next purge, his soon stage of carnage is in this city of Hosu. He had long decided which ones among the many fakes would face his blade.

The alleyways are perfect for murder, he knows his limits as a combatant. He's best at one-on-one and disabling his targets through his Quirk before annihilating them. He studied the patrol routes of his victims and chose which backstreet is the most ideal to lure them in facing him head-on. From then, the task of making them bleed and ending them is an old routine that he never tires of doing.

"Nice night, isn't it?", a voice suddenly said. He swiped a throwing knife from his side and shot at where the voice came from. It clattered to the ground when a black tendril came down from above.

Akaguro Chizome or Stain as he branded himself, looked up to see a slithering mass of… something over the rooftops, it hovered protectively over the owner of the voice. Whatever it was, it was monstrous and otherworldly. It didn't belong in this place and time. "Who are you?", he asked the man still obscured by the tentacle-like darkness.

"An interested party", the man answered. He kicked Stain's knife with neat shoes. The villain could see the man now that the mass of darkness disappeared. He appears to be younger than Stain, mid-20s at most. Pulled back dark-hair and dark, guarded eyes. He wears a neat blue button-down and pressed white trousers. He noted the vintage gun strapped on the man's thigh and the sword that hung on the same leg.

"Who are you working for?", the villain asked again. He didn't like compromising civilians but he had to cut down the nosy ones for the sake of his crusade.

The man shrugged, "Technically, the police but we have a little leeway since we're private-". Stain cut off the man's useless talk by closing the distance between them, his katana was stopped by another blade. Their swords were trembling with tension as sparks flew with the friction of steel. Their faces were closer as well. The man pushed his blade, there was unexpected strength in those arms, he continued to press on. If Stain doesn't want his own jagged katana to dig into his shoulder with the way the man pressed, he has to end this. The other man was overpowering Stain so the villain jumped back. The man, despite wearing something to go to a dance, was agile enough to leap at him from his left side and readied his finer blade to slash Stain. The melee attack didn't come, instead the man drew his gun and aimed at the Hero Killer with muffled gunshots.

Stain winced, there was a bullet embedded on his stomach. Had it not been for the protective layers and the metal plates covering that area, the wound would be worse. Between the time that he stepped away from the blue-clad man, he transferred hands so that his more dominant side would be able to pull his firearm and shoot. The Hero Killer had the hunch that he aimed specifically for a more protected area in his makeshift armor. The man could've given him a worse wound by targeting somewhere else that would actually be fatal to the villain.

"Like I said", the man said as the vintage gun was returned to its holster. "I just want to talk."

"I don't compromise", Stain growled. "Only All Might is allowed to arrest me, to condemn me for the sins I have done. Until then, I shall never stop at purging society of its fake heroes."

"I'm not here to arrest you either. I just want to know why you're pushing for these extreme ideals on heroism. I have my own problems with it but don't you think comparing every hero to All Might as your standard is a bit much? All Might's Number One after after all.", argued the man. An obvious move to placate the tense air surrounding them.

"Hero Society is corrupt, it breeds ideals for fame and greed. A dog-eat-dog industry that promotes selfishness and pursuit of power when the ideal for a true hero is utmost sacrifice and selflessness. Modern society is plagued by fake heroes who use heroism to feed their egos and feed their pockets.", Stain ranted.

"Fake heroes? In my experience, who humanity as a whole decides as a hero is arbitrary. A Hero could be a bloodthirsty warrior who only sought the thrill of a fight or a children's author who wrote stories that inspired generations or a tyrant who did terrible things for the unity of a nation. They don't have to martyr themselves or do great self-sacrificing deeds in their lifetime. At the end of the day, it is people you are hurting. You alone don't decide who is and isn't a Hero, it is the people and the generation that comes after who chooses to remember, that decides who they will enshrine in the Throne", said the man. It sounded like the man was speaking from experience, but it was good as trash to the villain.

"Empty words from a dead man", hissed Stain. It is the people who decide? Who was this man fooling? If the people knew how to look beneath the shiny mask of the heroes plaguing society, he wouldn't be in this crusade.

Stain heard the sound of a sword singing, the unmistakable sound of metal. Stain looked down at his throat, another blade's sharp edge was resting right above his jugular. _How?_ , he thought for a split-second. Did the blue man have someone else to ambush him? Stain didn't sense anyone besides him and the dapper swordsman. "Let me give the two cents I lost in a poker game, ya piece of shit.", an unhinged voice said from behind him. Stain willed his knees to _keep on standing_ , as another stranger appeared and flooded the alley with his killing intent. "Yer just lookin' for a reason to kill all these shitheads 'cuz ya think yer working for some ideal that would push society to become better."

"Assassin", said the blue-clad man. The two must be together then.

"Shut up!", admonished the unkempt stranger. His attention went back to Stain, "I'm telling ya now that yer nothing but a deranged serial killer lookin' for reasons to cut down bodies cuz it's when people collapse like fuckin' straw dolls is the only time ya feel alive."

His sharp yellow eyes regarded Stain like he's a piece of dung that he stepped on. "Don't give me the bull 'boutta fake heroes. Ya started killin' long before ya made that ideology of yours and when the bodies piled up, ya started findin' reasons to justify killing and concluded ya have to purge these fake heroes when in reality ya just want to keep killing."

The so-called Assassin then removed his sword from the villain's throat. Stain considered it good that his body still stood despite the man's killing intent crushing him. "It will do ya good if yer honest to yer own self about this kind of business. If ya don't it'll come back to bite ya in the ass." He paused as a cruel smile stretched on his face, "Oh, and..."

A sick squelch of flesh, and the momentary numbness- before the pain struck upwards telling his brain hot, hot, hot. Stain bit his tongue so he wouldn't scream. His left hand was stabbed, he could tell without looking. Skin, muscle, bone, nerve meeting cold steel, and blood pooling from his palm. The raggedy man serial killer stabbed his hand so quickly and precisely, it ensured the minimal blood but the most damage. He wouldn't be able to use his left hand for days, he wouldn't be able to treat this wound unless he gets out of Hosu and he can't just do that with all the fake heroes floundering in this city.

He pulled out his sword from Stain's hand and walked towards the other man. Two swordsmen in one night out to attack him, an S-class villain and deciding to spare his life. "I respect your ideals, Stain-san but I hold the value of human life higher. In my opinion, these heroes you call fake are allowed to exist merely because they're people who have their own livelihoods and because their value as human beings don't begin and end at them being heroes. Time will come that these pro-heroes will be judged by their actions but it'll not be you alone who will pass that sentence."

"Ya don't hafta appeal to trash like this", said the unkempt man as he wiped Stain's blood off his blade with a handkerchief handed by the other. The stare he was giving the villain's jagged katana was judgmental. He remembers the polished and clean steel of the two men.

Stain would've put more effort in what the man was saying if it wasn't for the pain that remained from his mutt's stab wound. Was it just now that Stain realized how terrifying this man was? Unassuming at first glance but was a different sort of monster when he started speaking. He has a murderer equal to, if not greater than Stain at his beck and call. He looked at the two men standing before him, the blue-clad man had a **presence** that almost compels people to believe that he was larger than life, like a soaring dragon walking among humans. "Those fake heroes are someone else's family, teacher or friend. I've realized that you're a man of conviction that won't be swayed by whatever I say. Even if we had been friends in another time, I think we would've disagreed in the end. Good night to you, because the next time we'll see each other it's either in court or in a cold cell."

That man was really good at talking and if Stain had a more pliable mentality, he would've believed what he said. "Also be on a lookout for someone called Shigaraki, you'll be bound to meet the League's puppet leader soon.", the man continued. Stain knew he was referring to the attack on UA's students.

The tendrils from the black mass of something came back and trickled like viscous syrup from up the rooftops down to the alleyway. Stain dared to look up, and a primal sort of terror rose from his heart as a lone red eye stared back at him from its dark serpent-like body. It wasn't simply black or dark, the beast had the color of the void like what gave it form was the ancient mud of Creation. It was massive, dangerous, ancient and didn't want anything to harm the blue-clad man.

It wasn't the size or the primal kind of fear this beast evokes that alarmed Stain, it was the silence. The beast moved so quietly as if it was considerate that it was midnight and that they were near a residential area where people would be sleeping. Could ancient creatures put human concerns like that in its head? He was so mesmerized that when he glimpsed something else hitched on its dark mass, he realized too late that it was the two men who met him with swords.

The creature and the people on its back disappeared in the night sky as if they were a phantasm. Had it not been for the cut that has long stopped bleeding on his chest or the deep stab on his left palm that still ran red, he would've dismissed the encounter as a hallucination. But the wounds remain and that sort of beast wasn't something Stain's imagination could conjure on its own.

* * *

In the alleyway, he remained alone and the silence of the night was haunting after such a dangerous encounter. His wounds are still here and his mind was still trying to process what kind of unworldly creature appeared before him. A beast he couldn't understand and someone with a bland alias Assassin, he started to walk away from the alleyway with a bleeding hand and laughed bitterly. Stain didn't even get the name of the charismatic and talkative man in blue.  
"Hey, Ryoma", said Izo as he looked at his companion whose face is as blank as it always was when he was thinking about something that Izo couldn't easily catch up with. They were back in their hotel and his friend looked up from the paper map of Hosu they procured which was useless since Izo knows these streets like the back of his hand. Maybe it has another purpose, he'd ask later.

"Yes, Izo-san?", inquired his friend he called a traitor in his last days.

The manslayer paused, "What you said about that it's the people who remember… do you think..." Fuck, he hates the way his voice decided to falter like that. He can't show this side of him, he can't, never. He will not be fucking vulnerable in front of Ryoma who left him to rot in Tosa when he's off gallivanting off his ships.

Ryoma blinked, Izo saw Oryou in his peripheral sight with her usual bored face. Oh, to be an ancient serpent who's barely concerned about human problems and human dilemmas. Ryoma knows that the assassin was thinking about what he said about Stain, who humanity remembers as heroes could be arbitrary. "I cannot be sure of the specifics of the Throne of Heroes, only that there's as many Heroic Spirits as there are stars in the sky", he paused. "But like you said before, we were not in control of how people would remember us. Frankly, I didn't care about my legacy back then. People were distrustful of me when we were alive, Izo. You of all people should know what kind of things they said about me."

And what you thought about me when I didn't do anything about your execution and you lost trust of me too, was left unsaid. Izo would like to think he knows a bit more of Ryoma that he could get a feel of what else he's trying to convey aside from what comes out of his mouth. Still that dialogue was jarring since Stain and Ryoma were speaking from two different wavelengths, like listening to the same song but by different people. Stain spoke with the vitriol of someone who lived in a superhuman society, Ryoma expressed the sentiments of a spirit of a bygone era who remains as an enduring image of a historical hero.

"Besides, had it not been our...side who won the conflict, I don't think I'd be popular as I am now, added Ryoma. Our side, Izo thought bitterly. That's a way to oversimplify things, both sides had sympathizers to the enemy cause, there's bastards who took advantage of the Bakumatsu in order to bolster personal gains. After everything was said and done, it was the people from Satsuma and Choshu who took hold of high positions in the new government, people who probably knew Ryoma one way or another.

"Okita and Hijikata are still popular even though they lost in that one", said Izo. Ryoma would probably say some shit like they lost in that conflict too since their poor souls perished, but that would be the same for the hitokiri and ambassador. At a personal level, none of them got anything good from the whole shebang. God, he was dumb wasn't he? That's why his stupid ass got executed.

If it had been anyone else, Izo would've called the look Ryoma gave him as warm. "Like you said, we can't control how people remember us and that includes the Shisengumi."

"Ah, a frog", said Oryou, breaking the two men out of their rather poignant conversation. The two looked up to the TV playing some late-night commentary on the UA situation. Izo thinks he's heard all that needs to be said about the school resuming their annual sports festival despite the recent villain attack. He knows that it will be within this week. The footage playing showed the 1A students and true to Oryou's word, there was a girl who resembled a frog.

"No", Izo said as he threw a hard look at Ryoma who indulged the woman with her unsaid requests. "Ya said to wait what those League whoiizzit to show up before we wrap up the Stain business."

"We have to move up the schedule, the League might try to recruit Stain before he kills any of the heroes here in Hosu. We know that he's the most famous topic in the shadier forums and the League may want a big name to join their ranks.", said Ryoma.

Izo frowned, "Wouldn't it be better if they get Shitstain when he shanks one of the chart-toppers here in Hosu?"

Ryoma shrugged, "Who knows? The psych profile says that this Shigaraki has a child-like temperament. I doubt he's actually the leader of the league."

"A shadow mastermind, just a hunch but I gotta feeling it has to do with All Might's injury", replies Izo.

"That **டManslayerㄱ** skill of yours sure is useful to pin down some things I could overlook. You said that All Might has wrecked his organs because he favors his right side compared to older footage where that body language wasn't present. Had you not said it I wouldn't have looked up on it. You're a genius, Izo-san! [2]", Ryoma said enthusiastically.

Izo's face did not heat up at Ryoma's compliment. It's a known fact that Izo was, is a genius swordsman. "You find anything, then?"

Ryoma's shoulders drooped, "Not much, I couldn't even get info from our feelers so that mastermind's got a tight hold over the underground. The authorities are also very hush-hush with anything about All Might. Can you imagine the demoralization if say, All Might dies or retires?"

"Not really, I ain't the right person to ask 'bout that.", Izo answers. "I can't even imagine that Shitstain's reaction if All Might would suddenly keel over and die. It'll be like Sakuradamon [3] ."

"To be ordinary isn't bad and Heroes were the ones who stood out of that mold.", pondered Ryoma. Unfortunate as it was, Ryoma was an ordinary man, a tad more idealistic and kind but had the impulse to act out on those ideals. "But here, having superpowers has become ordinary but it chooses to glorify people with better superpowers. It's a system as despotic and vulnerable as any and Stain could see that. Still, he's and All Might fanboy and even if he challenges the pro-hero system, he's still playing within that system."

"Tell yer social analysis to someone who don't remember you hiding behind your sisters' yukata, Sakamoto Ryoma.", responded Izo.

"What would you do then, Ryoma?"asked Oryou-san with softness reserved for the other man. "Had you cared enough or born in this time."

"Heh, born in this time huh? I'd be a politician. Honestly, let people defend themselves with their innate powers if pushed to a corner and destroy pro-hero as a lucrative career slowly but surely through legislative process. Funnel the funds for Heroics towards social services and other problems that continue to exist."

"Has anyone told you that you're far too idealistic?", asked Izo.

"I'm pretty sure that the leaders of Satsuma and Choshu thought of that but didn't voice it.", answered Ryoma. "Besides, they agreed to the alliance with some of my help."

Look at that man talking about the SatCho alliance as if he's just smoothing out an altercation in a school corridor., as if it wasn't instrumental to restoring imperial power. It wasn't humility, Izo could tell. The way Ryoma talked made it clear that he wasn't alone in that pursuit. The Imperialist movement was full of conflict but by no means that the parties involved acted alone. Izo thinks that this is how All Might would fall, he's been a singular living symbol of "peace" that it'll crumble once he's gone. It must be lonely for the Number One hero to stand at the top.

"Why don't we get some rest now. We still have to find Stain and get a cute gachapon frog Ryoma and Izo should get some rest so they can follow their schedule arranged by Oryou-san."

"We're Servants. We don't need to sleep.", said Izo a little harshly.

"Physically, no but sleep is good for the mind and soul.", replied the snake-woman as if she just imparted the wisdom of the Buddha.

"Well, Oryou-san said it so. Let's catch a few winks before swinging by some hero agencies in the morning to offer becoming bodyguards.", said Ryoma.

Izo wanted to go out of the hotel and pick up some drinks but he knows he'll be greeted by Ryoma's disappointed look when he does. They're still on the job. He glanced at Ryoma's paper map tracing they'll be giving to pro-heroes. Oryou has a point of sleep being good, not as good as a warm drink down his throat. "Fine, you two."

When Izo crawled into the hotel's bed with the two, he thought of nothing.

**_Meanwhile…_ **

A dark swirl of warped space appeared behind him as he overlooked the damned city. His left palm was wrapped with a ripped piece of red cloth to cover the recent stab wound. "When that man said I'd have a visit from your clique soon. I didn't it'll be this soon", Stain said as he observed two people walk out of the portal.

"Some NPC already recruited you for their guild?", groaned a white-haired manchild. "Nevermind. I want you to join my party."  
FOOTNOTES  


* * *

**  
! MAJOR SPOILERS IN FGO'S SUMMER 3 ARE DISCUSSED !**

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**OK?  
**   
[1] both Ryoma and Izo belonged to the _goshi_ or lower class samurai, ur status as a samurai determines ur stipend, ur choices of school, etc,. the social disparity between goshi and joshi was strictly enforced in their native Tosa domain. perhaps the best illustration of this is when the sonno joi movement ("revere the emperor, repel the (foreign) barbarians"- wc is the philosophy the Tosa clique followed) was being cracked down under the warrant that the previous daimyo of Tosa- Yoshida Shoin- was assassinated and arrests were made, Takechi Hanpeita who belonged to the _joshi_ or upper class samurai was allowed to commit seppuku. meanwhile, Izo and other members were severely tortured and we all know that our local hitokiri puppy got the public execution treatment. o(TヘTo)

I AM NOT SURE ABOUT TAKECHI HANPEITA'S STATUS AND WHETHER OR NOT IT CONTRIBUTED TO HIS JAIL TIME AND DEATH ASAJSBLAD;LASDN;. o(TヘTo)

[2] i'm taking liberties w/ personal skills here. Izo has 100% bonus damage against டHumanoidㄱ enemies & all Servants except Summer BB has that trait. Summer BB is basically a cocktail of very nonhuman things (moon AI, a misanthropic Outer god, a fire goddess) that despite being a Sakuraface, none of her has any resemblance to human or humanoid traits. additionally, the other Servant w/ special damage against டHumanoidㄱ trait is fucking Florence Nightingale, founder of nursing. so i'm taking liberties that in practice, டManslayerㄱ enables Izo to analyze an enemy's anatomy or composition so he could employ the best technique to kill that enemy. if the steampunk dad, the storybook, the robot-kaiju halloween homage are humanoid enough for izo to work this skill on, what chance does the Nomu have?

don't me in the comments abt how gameplay ≠ lore, this footnote is exactly how i reconcile the two.

[3] the [Sakuradamon incident ](https://www.japanese-wiki-corpus.org/history/The%20Sakuradamongai%20Incident.html) (1860) is wherein imperial loyalists from the Mito domain assassinated a high Tokugawa official, Ii Naosuke in his palanquin. Ii Naosuke initiated the Ansei purge who punished those who disobeyed the shogunate's treaty with the foreigners. this made him very unpopular and one of the victims is [irl!Narasaki Ryo's (Oryou) father](https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E6%A5%A2%E5%B4%8E%E9%BE%8D)\- that's japanese wikipedia btw. there are many factors that contribute to the conflict that described the end of the Bakufu but it can be argued that this assassination initiated the era of violence that the Bakumatsu is known for.

[bonus] it isn't intentional on my part but Izo injured Stain's left hand. Ryoma in his photographs hid his left hand since it's speculated that it got injured in the Teradaya incident. ㄟ( ▔, ▔ )ㄏ

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ryoma talks a loooooot. in his defense, he's best known for that. 
> 
> Happy Valentines! ❤❤❤ Even if u don't have romantic lovelifes, remember the people that u appreciate and treasure and the important relationships u have aside from romantic ones.
> 
> i love reading ur comments & replying to them. so if u have thought, suggestions or violent reactions, leave one down below!

**Author's Note:**

> Youtuber voice: please like and subscribe and turn on notification bell for future post. leave a comment down below :)


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